Wireless subscriber units (SUs) are supported by wireless networks located at various geographic locations. A subscriber of wireless services has his subscriber unit registered in a home network at a home location register (HLR) or its equivalent. When traveling the subscriber is served by another network that uses a signaling channel and a media channel to establish wireless communications. As used herein a “media channel” refers to the communication path over which user information is conveyed, which is contrasted with a signaling channel that carries command and control information associated with the setup, management and termination of a media channel. The subscriber's HLR keeps track of the current location of the subscriber unit and serves as an “anchor” point for the voice traffic with a wireless subscriber unit. When the subscriber is served by another remote network, the media channel will likely include one or more wireline links as part of the voice path to the subscriber's home HLR in addition to the wireless link that supports the subscriber's wireless subscriber unit.
However, this routing for a media channel is not efficient in some situations. Assume there is a disaster in the Los Angeles (LA) area, and some firefighters from New York City (NYC) travel to LA to help. A firefighter from NYC using a first wireless SU is currently located at the LA area, while a firefighter from LA uses a second SU. The HLR of the first SU is at NYC, while both the serving node for the first SU and the HLR of the second SU are at LA. The path for the media channel includes cross-country links between LA and NYC. Similarly, if the firefighter from LA calls the visiting firefighter from NYC, the same cross-country path links would occur.